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 Posted: Fri Mar 20, 2015 6:42 am
This Quest is for Kauff who is striving to become a Guard.
 OOC
||. The quest prompt must be answered with a 2000 word reply (can be more).
||. Respond to the prompt given with an adventure of your own creation as long as it meets the requirements of the specific tasks.
||. NPCs may be used as long as they advance the quest in an interesting manner.
||. You cannot include any playable characters other than the quest taker.
||. Your responses will be graded with a Pass or Fail. Those who fail will have to continue with assistance from the staff.
||. Questions about quests can be asked here.
IC
Kauff hadn't been in Zena long before things started to turn sour for him. The leader of the bandits in the area had began to spread the idea that Kauff had killed one of the others. The others heard this... slowly starting to think the worst of Kauff. He was the odd one out, he was the stranger that had come into the group and now one of them was dead.
What if he was planning to take another one of them out? Who was it going to be next? The rumors started snowballing, the next one even worse than the last.
Quest Tasks
||. This quest is intended for Kauff to handle the situation at hand.
||. The quest should start with the start of the rumors getting worse.
||. How does Kauff deal with everyone either avoiding him or picking fights with him, trying to get him to leave.
||. Kauff has to somehow deal with the rumors.
||. He may choose to flat out dispell them, or deal with them in any way that he wishes.
||. The quest should end with some sort of conclusion to the confrontations, either leaving the group or deciding to stick around after handling the rumors.
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Posted: Thu Apr 02, 2015 5:28 pm
[ barely even friends ]Weeks passed, and with each new day Kauff felt a little less apprehensive about his circumstances and a little more like his old self. The self that had gotten him into this mess in the first place. Discretion started to seem silly. He had only met a handful of people since he'd been well enough to explore, and if anyone outside of that circle continued to care that he remained here, they'd never hear of his presence anyway.
Following his initial run-in with Leath, Dahou had been furious with him, a sentiment that had only grown stronger with the pair's insistence on subsequent training sessions. She wasn't simply annoyed, nor full of worry masked by frustrated rage, the healer was genuinely, physically angry, the kind of anger that made her shake and turn purple. People were still muttering, she said, no matter how safe things seemed. If the wrong kind of chatter got back to Baenek's people, anyone who'd harbored him would get more than a beating.
In spite of her disapproval, Kauff adopted a sort of routine, a series of errands he ran daily or weekly or whenever they came up. He was used to pulling his weight in exchange for shelter, an impulse that definitely ran counter to anonymity. Not that he was very good at that anyway. Kauff was happiest when he spread himself around, when his very approach was enough to make someone smile. Like Lida.
"Morning, Kauff," the fisherwoman said, beaming brightly.
He answered her smile with a grin of his own. "Good morning to you, Lida. How're things?"
"Better now that you're here."
"Is that so?" Lida was very pretty, very happy, and very taken. Kauff always made an effort not to flirt. "Any of those little purple shellfish today?"
"I checked my nets from here to Coeld and I couldn't find any. But I did come across a couple of the gorgeous blue fish from several weeks ago, the ones that match your eyes." Kauff made an effort not to flirt. Lida did no such thing.
The prentice tsked. "What will Denan say?"
"About the fish?" she answered innocently. "Go and ask him yourself. He's come up with some new flavor he thinks Leath will like."
With a nod and a resurgence of his grin, Kauff ducked into the cave behind Lida. A chubby Ice hunched over a mortar and pestle, his already mussed hair disheveled further as he ran his right hand back through it. His left—the dominant one, Kauff knew—rested in his lap, its proper functionality a casualty of the war. He had heard stories of Denan's former prowess with a blade, but his days as a fighter were over. He had taken up spice mixing full time, a hobby that had easily expanded into an occupation that perfectly complemented Lida's.
Denan didn't look up from his work as Kauff entered. "So. Running off with my wife?"
Normally they played this game with far more skill, but Kauff could already hear the laughter in the other young man's voice this time, and he couldn't keep his tone steady in its presence. "We'll name our first son after you."
"It will be an honor. You really do have lovely eyes."
Kauff's laugh was more a snort through his nose. "The two of you have no shame."
"I would stop if it made you uncomfortable. Which it doesn't. Troublemaker."
Kauff clapped Denan on the back and took a seat opposite him. "Lida says you've got a magical mix of... something or other in here, but I can't believe it's better than that last one. The stuff that made Leath's eyes roll back in his skull. He ate so much meat that night that he didn't leave his place for three days after. I really doubt you've actually done better."
"I know I have," the Ice muttered, still working.
"Will this new recipe make Dahou piss herself? Literally?"
Denan smirked as he finally met Kauff's gaze. "It might."
"Impressive." The Wind snorted, their brief exchange of snark reaching its end for now. "How much do I owe you?"
"No more than usual," Denan replied with deliberate nonchalance, stretching his arms over his head.
Kauff nodded, parceling out four little vials from the pouch at his waist and placing them on the marble slab between them. They were mild sleeping tinctures, specially mixed by Dahou—or more likely Alek these days—and Denan usually only got three in payment. He had trouble clearing his mind at night long enough to settle at a reasonable hour, and even when he did, he sometimes awoke shouting and scared due to his vivid dreams. More gifts from Oba. If there was one thing Kauff had learned here it was that he had been extraordinarily lucky by comparison.
Denan swallowed. "That's too many."
"I don't know what you're talking about." Kauff made a show of lifting the spice box and weighing it in his hands before packing it away. "Seems like a perfectly even trade."
The Ice sighed softly and Kauff could see defiance in his golden eyes as he glared up at him. Denan didn't want more medicine. He had spoken to Dahou about it when he'd thought no one else had been around, his voice clipped and tense. But the old mage had faith in her potions and she would hear none of it. They weren't addictive, and they helped his quality of life immensely. She'd insisted Kauff bring more, and Dahou always got what she wanted.
"All right," Denan finally whispered.
Kauff pat the man's back again, much more gently than he had before. The silence stretched between them, comforting in its lazy way. When it had calmed them for long enough, Kauff broke it cleanly over his knee.
"How about you come outside and watch me kiss your wife goodbye?"
- - - - -
He left Lida and Denan's in high spirits, carefully visiting the tanner and two different bakers before approaching the herbalist. While the other shops he frequented were inside the looping mess of mountain caverns, Eis lived just outside, in a proper cottage nestled in the foothills. It was tricky enough to get to openly. Doing so without attracting attention was even trickier.
The Ice boy was one of the first people Kauff had met around here, by necessity. Eis and his grandmother provided many of the green things the townspeople ate and used for medicinal purposes, and during those first few muddled weeks of his recovery he'd needed a great many green things. Blue, purple, and yellow things too. Now they had a standing appointment twice a week so Kauff could pick up ingredients for Dahou's potions and medicines, and even though the child was shy, Eis usually met Kauff along the way, eager to hear one of the prentice's stories as they walked. Today the path to the cottage was empty, a light breeze whistling past rocks splotched with melting snow. Kauff thought nothing of it at first, but the farther he traveled along the path, the more confused he became. Surely they had seen him coming by now. Why hadn't they given him a welcome?
A tickle of fear bubbled up from his stomach into his chest and Kauff's pace increased. What if something had happened to them? A fall or a wild animal or worse? What if Baenek and his bandits had now decided to seek their victims out rather than coming across them by chance?
The cottage was within sight now, a low stone structure with a bright red thatched roof. A year ago, Eis had learned that cave clay dyed dried reeds a brilliant crimson. He was so proud of his discovery that it had been one of the first stories the boy had told Kauff in return. It was how he had known the child was no longer afraid of him.
He could see now that there was a note on the door, messy words scrawled in the older herbalist's hurried hand. Kauff squinted and leaned forward a bit as he walked, failing to make out what it said until he was right on top of it.WIND NOT WELCOME He felt the back of his neck flush as a portion of his fear turned to embarrassed irritation. What was the meaning of this? They had been friends, or at least friendly acquaintances, and now... Kauff huffed. He knocked on the door, peering through the closest window when there was no answer. This had to be some sort of mistake. A misunderstanding. A lie. He would give them some space, return when they'd come to their senses.
With a furtive glance around the yard and path, Kauff pulled the sign from the door, crumpled it in his fist, and strode away.
[ 1464 ]
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Posted: Thu Apr 02, 2015 5:29 pm
[ revas ]
Kauff was rather desperate for a fight by the time he got back to Leath's, just a little scuffle to clear his head, but he was denied the satisfaction. His mentor was nowhere to be found.
When the Ice brute finally did return, Kauff had already taken out his disappointment on an innocent practice dummy. Leath was just in time to witness snapping seams and receive the gift of a heap of hay and sand as it plopped at his feet.
"Bad day?"
"I thought you people were just sheltered and weird. Turns out you're assholes too."
Leath chuckled. It held less mirth than it should have. Kauff swung the Ice's old hammer—his hammer now—at the dummy's empty shell.
"Someone say something to you?"
"No. That's the problem. It's been weeks since I started wandering around and no one's treated me any differently than people treat anyone else passing through. And now, today..." He pulled the scrap of paper he'd ripped from the cottage door out of his pocket and brandished it at the man. "Who took a crap in her breakfast?"
Leath's forced smile finally fell. He took the wrinkled sign from Kauff and folded it carefully. "Mavine wrote this?"
"Eis's grandmother, yeah. I know we don't talk much, but I..."
"You need to stay inside as much as you can. Starting now. And if you do need to go anywhere, you should wear your parka with the hood pulled as tightly as you can get it."
"But it's spring—"
"Yes! Spring! When the snow melts and..." Leath sighed. "They found Genn's body, Kauff. And Revas is back."
"Who?"
"Baenek's uncle. Respected. Or maybe just feared. Either way, people find him much less easy to write off than his nephew, even when the subject of his scrutiny is such a..." He cleared his throat. The sarcasm stuck. "...nice kid like you."
"Oh." Oh.
Kauff found himself unable to respond as he might have liked to, buffeted by a mix of emotions that furrowed his brow instead. He did at least try to reply, his lips parted by words that never materialized, but in the end he remained silent. Baenek had made many wild accusations. He had called for curfews and cavern-to-cavern searches to find the Wind that he insisted had killed Genn. But none of what he said had persisted. He was frightening and reckless, and the only way people would rally behind him was if he forced them to. This... Revas was probably a lot more stealthy with his influence. As an outsider, Kauff had little hope of holding the trust of the few he had come to know, and that hurt more than the threat of a second date with Baenek's pipe. When Leath spoke, Kauff's mouth shut with an audible click of his teeth.
"This really bothers you, doesn't it?"
"It pisses me off, yeah."
"That would be one definition of the word bothered."
"Hm."
Leath shifted his weight and folded his arms, obviously searching for something to say. Kauff wondered what the man thought would comfort him when he didn't even know himself. All he was sure of was that he couldn't let this go. He wasn't going to let someone smear him through the mud for a crime he hadn't committed, at least not without dragging his accuser through it as well.
"All right," he muttered, crossing to the weapon rack and carefully placing his hammer back on its hooks. He glanced up at Leath, then back at the ground. "I'll lie low until we figure out what's going on."
The Ice dipped his chin in a faint nod, a mix of resignation and disappointment clouding his eyes. "Yes. Just for a little while. It would be for the best."
[ 628 ]
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Posted: Thu Apr 02, 2015 5:30 pm
[ sometimes it's better to go ]
Despite his seemingly sincere suggestion, Kauff had no intention of lying low. He had been wronged, at least in his eyes. He wanted to know why.
He didn't bother with Eis and Mavine this time, nor the tanner or the pair of bakers. Instead Kauff hurried straight back to Denan and Lida's half a week later, as soon as Dahou saw fit to leave him alone. He had disguised himself in a number of unseasonable hooded coats and woolen scarves before he had left, all of which he now pulled away from his face as he paused outside the couple's cavern, searching the dark stone for a spot to knock. As a child of Sauti's mountains he should have been more accustomed to homes without proper doors, but he'd spent far too long in cities with inns and privacy to immediately think of barging in and shattering theirs. He called Lida's name first, knowing that Denan's stubborn streak rivaled even his own. When no one answered, he hesitated then shook his head when he realized nothing was stopping him from just going inside.
The interior of the cave was dark and empty, and Kauff almost backed out again as hurriedly as he had entered until he realized his eyes needed to adjust from the glare of the torches outside. When they did, he noticed a dim glow emanating from farther ahead.
"I know you're in here!" he bellowed as he stepped deeper into the cavern.
"Yes," Lida replied once he'd rounded the corner. "We are. And now everyone who cared to listen knows you are too." From their chilly greeting—or lack thereof—Kauff had expected an equally cold reception once he'd found them, so the exasperated amusement in Lida's voice was actually surprising.
Denan, on the other hand... His face was stormy, and when he shook his head, Lida frowned at him.
"You shouldn't be here," the man grumbled. "Don't think that my wife's lack of self preservation means that you are welcome."
"Don't worry. I don't feel welcome at all."
"Kauff..."
"You don't have to cower from the scary murderer for long. I only came to—"
"Kauff!" Denan wasn't grumbling now. "We don't think you... murdered anyone. You do realize that Baenek's rumors have been making the rounds since before we met you? They're more convincing now that Revas is spouting them too, but anyone who knows you..."
The prentice was reminded of his first encounter with Leath, when the man had told him, flat out, that he didn't believe Kauff had ever killed anyone. "...Doesn't think I'm a killer. Yeah. I've gotten that before." He supposed it wasn't a bad thing to be seen as incapable of murder, but he still felt as though he had somehow missed out on inheriting a more threatening mien. He pulled out a stool and dropped onto it with a huff, visibly adding to Denan's frustration.
"You still can't stay here."
Kauff sighed out a reply at the same moment that Denan continued speaking.
"I know."
"My family—"
Kauff paused, his exasperation rushing away with his next exhaled breath. Family? His eyes snapped to Lida's and he saw something there, something that she seemed glad he had noticed. She nodded when his expression changed with the realization. A baby. They were expecting a child. Any recklessly rebellious activities they might have involved themselves in on his behalf in the past were too risky now that they had more to worry about than themselves.
Eventually he noticed they had all been silent for a very long time.
"No. I see that I can't." He rose again, suddenly feeling as though there were too many people in the cavern, which he supposed there were. No matter how much they enjoyed his company, they couldn't endanger their future by standing behind him. He knew they shouldn't. That he still wanted them to made him feel even more claustrophobic. "Congratulations," he breathed. "How long have you known?"
"A couple of days. And thank you." When Denan spoke again, his voice was softer. "What will you do?"
"I'm going to leave."
"Just like that? No fight?"
Kauff chuckled. "Nah. Knowing me, there'll probably be a fight eventually."
Lida laughed at that, breaking her mournful silence. She pat at Denan's hand where it rested protectively on her shoulder, crossing to the Wind's side when he let her go. Kauff couldn't help it. He leaned into her hug when she offered it, lingering a little longer than some other husbands might have approved of. Denan just followed Lida, clapping Kauff on the back when he didn't stop.
"Take care of yourself," he said, a flash of mirth finally lighting his eyes. "But don't come back."
Kauff let Lida go, holding her at arms length and deliberately ignoring the glitter of her unshed tears. "You too. And I won't."
[ 810 ]
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Posted: Thu Apr 02, 2015 5:32 pm
[ button ]
It would have been generous of him to take his leave right then. He could have walked out into the spring rain with the coats on his back and protected those he had come to care for by disappearing entirely. He considered it. Then he turned and entered Alek's secret cave. He couldn't leave things like this while he scurried away like a frightened moracker.
Dahou had already returned, but she paid him no mind as he approached. She sat by Alek's stove in Alek's chair, but Alek himself was nowhere to be found. He and his twin were off doing... twin things together. Family things. Maybe if he'd had a twin, he wouldn't have ended up so adrift. Kauff shook his head. The thought was idiotic. He'd walked into the trouble he was in all by himself and no one could have kept him from it, not even if they'd shared a womb. If anything, there would have been an identical pair of displaced Winds accused of murder around here rather than just the one.
The old mage looked up from her scribbling as Kauff took another step closer, squinting at him in nearsighted irritation.
"One of Revas's men found a big, bone button near Genn's body that looks an awful lot like one of the ones that was on that horrible coat you got beat in."
"So?"
"So. They also found an old puddle of blood that was none of theirs 'cause everyone remembers Baenek's crew came home with their skulls intact. And some fur from your yellow rat—"
"Rawn's not a rat."
"Even so. You know where this is going from what you've seen around here. They're going to start by intimidating everyone into staying inside. Then they'll search and threaten and suggest until people are frightened. Someday, sooner than you think, someone will talk. And we'll all pay for keeping you a secret." She began to write again, peering down at the paper even though all of her attention was somehow still on him. "I forbid you to leave this cave when you were unwell and you disobeyed. I made excuses to keep you around after that for Alek's sake. I warned you to stay put once people started chattering again. But now I'm telling you to get out. You're an entertaining one, that's for sure, but I think it's time we get back to the ordinary around here."
Kauff nodded shallowly. It would have been generous for him to go. But now he had names to clear, people who wouldn't be protected for long if he simply left.
"Don't worry, Dahou," he said, a grin slowly spreading from his lips to his eyes. "I'll fix this."
She looked up at him again, mouth twisted in a wrinkled scowl. "I'm not worried, stupid child. Just do what you're gonna do quick. I'm not cut out to be dead."
[ 482 ]
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Posted: Thu Apr 02, 2015 5:33 pm
[ a man with a plan ]It was difficult to believe that it had only been a handful of days since Revas's renewed rumors had begun to cause so many problems. Barely anything had changed from an outsider's point of view, but Kauff's tremulous new life was being tugged out from under him nonetheless. It was becoming a pattern he was growing tired of. The prentice sighed. If he couldn't prevent lasting contentment from slowly slipping away, then he was going to yank it free before it could abandon him on its own.
He glanced back toward the outside world as he left Alek's cave and headed into the deeper caverns. It would be night soon. That suited his purposes perfectly. He had never been to the Crossroads before, but from what he understood its name suited the spot well. As darkness fell, people would pass through on the way back to their homes. Word would spread. A Wind was looking for Baenek.
- - - - -
A little less than an hour later, Kauff felt the atmosphere of the clearing shift and sharpen. He had retreated to the shadows once his presence and intent were made clear, but now he emerged again, smirking as he stared his attacker down. Baenek was flanked by an older Ice with the same hard eyes and wide jaw. Kauff addressed him first.
"Revas. Nice to meet you."
His bandit attacker snarled before he spoke. "Arrogant j—"
"Baenek." As predicted, Revas was a quieter sort that his nephew, full of competence and silent intimidation. Kauff had guessed he would come, but his business was with the younger man.
"Hello," the Wind said, meeting Baenek's scowl with a slight nod. "I wanted to talk to you about—"
"We have nothing to talk about, murderer. You'll either confess to your crimes here in front of everyone, or I'll beat the truth out of you." Their voices were too low to be heard by anyone not in their immediate vicinity, but people were starting to gather anyway, drawn by the possibility of scandal.
"You know..." Kauff made a show of pretending to consider the man's words. "That sounds like a good idea."
"What?"
"Beating the truth out of me. Or, you know, me doing that to you, which seems a lot more likely."
"So brutish." Revas looked disapproving enough, but he didn't bother to stifle all of the pleasure in his voice. It made the hair on Kauff's arms stand on end. He spoke quickly to alleviate the sensation.
"This started with a fight. It should end with one."
Before Baenek could object, Kauff had taken several steps back and spread his arms wide.
"We all know what I've been accused of," he shouted, spurred on by the crowd's instantaneous attention. "And I know this might make me seem guiltier, but since Baenek suggested it first, I'm not gonna let that bother me." He paused, swallowing and hoping his voice didn't waver. "We are going to prove, once and for all, who killed Genn. We are going to fight."
Indecipherable chatter crested around him, bouncing off of the walls in a sibilant wave.
"Back up," he instructed, taking a deep breath. "And we'll get started."
Surprisingly, the crowd obeyed, but whether they did so due to fear or respect he didn't care. As Revas turned to disappear into the rabble, Kauff touched his shoulder and added, "Please stay." He smiled then, and he could feel its threat in the muscles of his face for the first time in his life. Revas raised a brow, but he remained where he was, at the edge of the ring of spectators.
Kauff paused. Now that he had everyone's attention, he was at a bit of a loss. His predatory expression faded a bit. Did they just start pummeling when someone said go? His eyes scanned the crowd. Terms. Yes, terms would be nice.
"Would you like some rules?"
"One each," Baenek replied.
"No help," Kauff said, the words nearly overlapping his opponent's. The assistance of the man's gang had been what had lost Kauff the fight last time. Well, that and the pipe, but he could see no weapons here.
Baenek nodded. "And no weapons."
Kauff tried to appear mildly disappointed as he nodded back. That took care of that.
The Ice spent the next minute divesting himself of a number of daggers and knuckle guards, all while Kauff stood quietly still, eyes widening a touch with every weapon. Chi's knickers. He would have been in for some fight had the man not thought him underhanded. Kauff slipped off the scaling knife Lida had given him and dropped it in the pile, earning a frown from Baenek.
"That's all?"
Kauff nodded.
"Crap." The man shifted his weight, eyed the pile, then launched himself fist-first at Kauff's face.
The blow struck the prentice's cheek as he tried to dodge and Kauff grunted in pain, suddenly keenly aware that there had been no mention of rings in their terms. That had hurt. He took a step back, his fingers curling into his palms. He was certainly not as quick as Baenek, but he was quite a bit larger. It was a dubious advantage, one he was determined to make use of... now. Kauff rushed Baenek, missing the Ice as he ducked away. He arced his arm back once Baenek had passed, catching the man in the jaw. Kauff leaned, elbow first, and the two of them went down with a muffled thud, their audience gathering closer so as not to miss a minute of the scuffle.
"Tell them," Kauff growled, pushing himself up to straddle Baenek. He aimed his thumbs at the man's eyes, bringing his fingers too close to Baenek's mouth as a result. Kauff shouted as he was bit. He abandoned his eye-gouging in favor of a stranglehold.
The Ice began to scrabble and kick, panic forcing his golden eyes wide. But the time Kauff realized Baenek couldn't speak, it was very nearly too late. The Wind let go, his bitten fingers dripping blood onto the bandit's collar.
"You didn't..." Baenek panted, going still save for the heaving of his chest. "You weren't the one who killed Genn."
The fight had been brief, but Kauff had gotten what he came for. The news of his innocence would spread. His friends were safe. He staggered to his feet, looking over the silent crowd with a grimace. He had known this sort of behavior wouldn't cast him in the best light. He had known that no matter the outcome, he would never see this place again. But the guarded expressions of those gathered there still hurt. He took a step forward. The crowd parted, revealing Revas's unmoving body. Kauff stared, not quite sure what he was seeing or what had happened and too addled to puzzle it out. He didn't want to be here anymore. The prentice stumbled off in the opposite direction, not caring who followed. No one did.
- - - - -
Kauff had only one place to visit before he left this life entirely. Leath's training room. He hurried through the caverns, feeling the eyes of everyone he passed on his bloody hands and bruising face until he ducked out of sight. Despite his reluctance to come across anyone he was close to for fear that seeing them would make it harder to go, a small part of him wished that someone would be there when he entered. He rounded the corner, hope in his eyes, but it wasn't meant to be. He was alone.
The prentice took his time crossing the room, admiring the weapons with the same wonder he had the first time he had seen them. Too soon he reached his hammer, aching fingers dancing over its worn grip. Kauff lifted it off of its hooks and slung it across his back, securing it with the straps that dangled over his chest. He smiled. He sighed.
He left.
[ 1318 ]
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Posted: Thu Apr 02, 2015 6:16 pm
Suhuba i am so sorry this is so long but i am done o.o
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Posted: Thu Apr 02, 2015 9:17 pm
Class Quest Result
Pass!
Kauff has passed and received a rank of Guard!
Congratulations Kauff!
Smerdle Kauf may choose one fairground item for a very impressive use of details! Please PM Suhuba with your choice.
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